NUM handed weapons to members

North West / 29 January 2013, 5:09pm

Maryke Vermaak

230812. Wonderkop Informal Settlement in Marikana near Rustenburg, North West. Families, friends, residents and mineworkers gathered at the mountain during the memorial service held in honour Lonmin mineworkers that were killed by by police Marikana.
Picture: Dumisani Sibeko

Rustenburg - The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) provided weapons so its members could protect themselves at Marikana, the Farlam commission of inquiry heard on Tuesday.

NUM member and Lonmin employee Saziso Gegeleza testified on the events of August 11, when striking workers tried to attack the union's office at the Lonmin platinum mine in the North West.

Karl Tip, for NUM, asked him if there were usually weapons kept at the NUM offices, to which he replied: “No”.

Gegeleza said NUM shop stewards had confiscated the weapons from striking miners.

He said NUM western platinum branch secretary Daluvuyo Bongo handed out weapons as they heard a group of strikers were heading towards the office to burn it down.

“I was given a knobkerrie and a spear.”

He went on to explain how a large group of strikers neared the office. They threw stones and shouted: “Here are these dogs”.

“They were so aggressive and they came towards the office running.”

Gegeleza said the group had sticks, knobkerries, pangas and spears.

“I had fear. I was afraid, but I wanted to protect my life as well as the offices of the NUM.”

He said just as the two groups were about to meet gunshots were fired and the strikers retreated. He did not know who fired the gun.

“We chased them and they ran towards the hostel.”

He said they chased after the strikers to prevent them from planning another attack.

Gegeleza testified how he saw a man, who he believed was injured, crawling on the ground, but did not approach him.

He said he found out during the commission's inspection in loco at the NUM's office on October 2 that two strikers were killed on August 11.

Tip asked him if he ever saw any bodies in the vicinity.

“No I never saw them.”

He was testifying before the commission which is probing the deaths of 44 people at Lonmin's Marikana mine in August 2012.

On August 16, 34 striking mineworkers were shot dead and 78 wounded when police opened fire while trying to disperse a group gathered on a hill near the mine.

In the preceding week, 10 people, including two police officers and the two security guards, were hacked to death.